Marking device

ABSTRACT

A marking device to facilitate applying guidelines, texturing or script writing and the like to a working surface such as drafting paper, architectural plans, or any graphic media. Means are provided to hold a plurality of marking elements in equally spaced-apart relationship with means to selectively adjust the spacing between the extending ends of the elements.

Aug. 7, 1973 [54] MARKING DEVICE Primary Examiner-Louis R. PrinceAssistant Examiner-Milton S. Gerstein Att0rneyFlehr, I-Iohbach, Test,Albritton & Herbert t n o m 1 5 0 4 9 m a m mw .C V. m N rr FD o t n e vn I ne 7 [22] Filed: Jan. 11, 1971 ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 105,209

- A marking device to facilitate applying guidelines, texturing orscript writing and the like to a working surface such as drafting paper,architectural plans, or any graphic media. Means are provided to hold a201 wm /3 31 3 E 3 1 4 "n u 3 n In c .r a ne 8 C km m.m UIF I J] 2 00555 [ll plurality relationof marking elements in equally spaced-apart[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS ship with means toselectively adjust the spacing between the extending ends of theelements.

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 24,165 1892Great 33/41 D PAIENIED AUG 7 I975 V IN N IN, l.l|1 i 5 HH m m \iHMH FINVENTOR.

MARKING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF HE INVENTION This invention relates ingeneral to the field of graphics and in particular relates to devicesfor applying guidelines, texturing or script writing and the like to aworking surface.

Draftsmen commonly use various expedients for drawing guidelines ondrafting paper for lettering. A number of devices have been used toprovide accuate spacing between the guidelines. Among these are theBraddock et n t ssslssss, thsowsslsttst sslns ti'ument. The Braddocklettering triangle is a 45 triangle provided with groups of accuratelypositioned and spaced holes. A sharp pencil is inserted successively ina selected number of the holes as the triangle is drawn across aT-square over the paper. The Ames lettering instrument provides a flatdisc formed with groups of holes with the disc adapted to be manuallyturned to selected positions relative to a base plate. A pencil is theninserted through selected holes as the base plate is drawn across aT-square to apply the guidelines.

Other expedients commonly employed are for the draftsmen to rule off theguidelines with the spacing marked by a ruler, or by free hand ruling.

All of the .foregoing expedients have their limitations.

The Braddock and Ames devices are tedious to use and,

require a substantial amount of time to apply the guidelines. The freehand ruling technique is faster but does not provide uniform, evenlyspaced lines. Neither the conventional lettering devices nor the freehand techniques are adaptable to applying multiple-line texturing, suchas for scribing brick on architectural drawings, or for multiple-linescriptwriting, such as for graphics display.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of theinvention to provide an improved device for marking guidelines, applyingmultiple-line texturing or applying multiple-line script writing and thelike.

Another object is to provide a device of the type described which holdsa plurality of marking elements in spaced-apart relationship for drawingacross a working surface and which facilitates rapid adjustment of thespacing between the elements with equal spacing between the elements atany adjustment position.

Another object is to provide a marking device of the type describedwhich holds a plurality of marking elements in adjustable spaced-apartrelationship with yieldable cushion means to afford leveling of theelement ends for even contact with the drawing surface and which reducesstresses on the elements as pressure is applied during use.

The foregoing and additional objects and features of the invention areprovided by a device comprising first and second body members pivotallymounted together with one member carrying a roller formed with twoseries of interrupted grooves having opposite rotational senses and inwhich groove pitch progressively increases as the roller turns. Aplurality of marking elements are seated in spaced-apart relationshipbetween the grooves and an end edge of the other body member. A spacermember is provided with a series of holes for receiving the inner endsof the elements. A resilient cushion supports the undersides of theelements and spring means are used to pivot the body members in a mannerurging the elements into seating relationship with the roller grooveswhereby manual turning of the roller progressively adjusts the equalspacing between the projecting ends of the elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of amarking device incorporating features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG.2;

FIG. 4 is a cross section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a developmental view of the roller surface illustrating theconvergance of the roller groove root axes.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT marking device 10 holding aplurality of marking elements, e.g. sharpened pencil leads 12, in equal,spacedapart relationship so that a user can grip the device in his handand move it across a working surface, e.g. drafting paper, to mark anumber of lines as for making guidelines on mechanical drawings,multi-line texturing such as to scribe bricks for architecturaldrawings, or for multi-line script writing as for graphics displays andthe like.

Device 10 comprises a main body defined by a first or upper body member13 and a second or lower body member 14. The two body members aremounted to gether for pivotal movement by suitable means such as theillustrated pair of bosses 16 projecting outwardly from either side of astrengthening ridge 18 on the inside of second member 14. The two bosses16 are pivotally seated in respective recesses formed on the inside ofskirt 22 extending downwardly from either side of first body member 13.

A roller member 24 of a suitable synthetic plastic material is rotatablymounted at the two forwardly extending sides 26, 28 formed integral withfirst body member 13. The roller member is mounted at either end to thesides 26, 28 by suitable axles 30 formed on the roller ends andinterfitting in recesses in the body sides. A notched flange 32 isformed at one end of the roller to facilitate manual gripping forturning adjustment. Frictional engagement between the roller ends andfirst body member sides functions to releasably retain the roller in theselected position.

The outer surface of the roller member is formed with two series ofinterrupted grooves 34, 36 position in end-to-end relationship andhaving opposite rotational senses. The series of grooves 34 abut theseries of grooves 36 at the longitudinal center line of device 10, andgrooves 34 define a right-hand rotational sense while grooves 36 definea left-hand rotational sense.

Grooves 34 and 36 are further formed in a manner that the groove pitchprogressively increases on the lower side of the roller as the roller isturned clockwise when viewed in FIG. 3, and similarly groove pitchprogressively decreases as the roller member is turned counter clockwiseas viewed in FIG. 3.

The plurality of marking elements or pencil leads 12 are positionedbetween the first and second body members with each lead seated in thegrooves 34, 36 on the lower side of the roller. Means are provided tourge the In the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective view leadsinto this seating engagement comprising a laterally extending end edge38 formed integral with the forward end of second body member 14. Thetop of end edge 38 converges to a point for clamping against the leads12. Yieldable means are provided to urge the roller member and end edgetogether for holding the leads in seated engagment. This means in theillustrated embodiment comprises a U-shaped spring 40 mounted betweenthe first and second body members and adapted to urge the outer endsthereof apart for pivotal movement about bosses 16.

The inside ends of leads 12 are held in fixed spacedapart relationshipby means of a laterally extending spacer plate 42 formed with aplurality of vertically elongate holes 44. The inside ends ormid-segments of each of the leads 12 extends through a respective hole44 so that the leads when seated in the roller grooves diverge outwardlywith equal included angles and the sharpened lead points are equallyspaced apart. The spacer slots 44 provide a fulcrum for the leads as theroller is turned and the lead points undergo lateral adjusting movement.The vertical extent of the slots provides play for the leads as pressureis applied during a marking operation.

A resilient cushion 46 of a suitable elastomer material such as neoprenerubber is mounted within second body member 14 for supporting the underside of the leads 12 on the side of spacer 42 remote from the rollermember. This cushion provides yieldable support for the leads toaccommodate any uneven bending and displacement between the variousleads as the device is pressed against the paper in use, thereby actingas an automatic leveling expedient in case the leads are of somewhatdifferent lengths. At the same time the resilient support provided bycushion 46 minimizes breaking of the leads in use.

FIG. illustrates a developmental view of the outer surface of rollermember 24. Broken line 50 defines the locus of the points of contactwhich the leads would make with the roller grooves when seated inposition. The series of lines 52 represent the developed root axes ofgroove 34 and the series of lines 54 represent the developed root axesof groove 36. Root lines 52, 54 diverge outwardly from an imaginarylocus 56 spaced a predetermined distance a from groove contact locusline 50. Lines 58 and 60 represent the extremes of movement of thegrooves as the roller member is rotated throughout its full range ofadjustment. Thus, for a minimum spacing between leads the roller isturned so that the groove portions along line 58 move over locus 50, andfor the maximum spacing between leads the roller is turned so that thegroove portions along line 60 are over locus 50. Throughout this turningadjustment of the roller the spacing between the leads is progressivelyincreased or decreased in that the leads are constrained to follow thegrooves.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the minimum spacing betweenlead points would be 1/16 inch. The preferred maximum spacing betweenlead points would be 1/8 inch. It is understood that the spacing limitsmay be varied as desired. Also, while all leads are shown with evenspacing for any adjustment position,

the grooves could be proportioned with any desired ratio of spacing.Roller 24 is also adapted for easy interchangeability so that it can beremoved and replaced by another roller having varying groove proportionsor spacing, as desired.

While a roller of cylindrical configuration is illustrated as preferred,the invention also contemplates that other roller shapes can beutilized, for example, the roller could be a prism with multiple sideseach having a plurality of laterally spaced-apart grooves correspondingto the grooves of the illustrated embodiments. These grooves woulddiverage outwardly from a common imaginary locus in the manner of FIG.5, and the spacing of the grooves for each prism side would be varied toafford selective marking element spacing depending upon the prism sidewhich is turned downwardly for seating the leads.

The use and operation of device 10 is as follows: The desired number ofleads 12 are sharpened and inserted into the holes of plate 42 as theuser presses the outer ends of the first and second body memberstogether against the tension of spring 40. The force against the springis then released allowing it to pivot the body members so that end edge38 urges the leads into seating relationship with the lower portion ofthe grooves 34, 36. The sharpened points of the leads may now be alignedby holding the device upright with the leads pointed downwardly againsta flat surface, squeezing the body members together to release thepressure of end edge 38 until the lead points are aligned, and releasingpressure on the body members so that the leads are again held firmly inplace. The user then grips roller flange 32 and turns it in the desireddirection moving the lead points together or apart until the desiredspacing is achieved. The device can then be moved across the drawingpaper as along the edge of a T-square for marking guidelines, or usedfree-hand style for multiple line script writing. When it is desired toagain vary the lead spacing the roller can be adjusted to any stopposition between the illustrated limits of A; inchl/l6 inch spacing.

While the foregoing embodiment is at present considered to be preferredit is understood that numerous variations and modifications may be madeby those skilled in the art within the true spirit and scope of theinvention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for drawing lines on a surface with a plurality of markingelements each having a mid-segment and an outer end, the devicecomprising the combination of a main body adapted to be gripped by theuser, a roller element rotatably mounted on the body about a rolleraxis, the roller element being integrally formed on its outer surfacewith two series of grooves of opposite rotational sense positioned inend-to-end relationship, each groove being pitched relative to theroller axis whereby groove pitch of the two series increases in oppositedirections along said roller axis, means on the body resiliently urgingthe marking elements tangentially against said roller element and inseated position in said grooves, spacer means on the main body holdingthe mid-segments of the marking elements in fixed spaced-apartrelationship whereby the outer ends of the marking elements are inspaced-apart relationship, said spacer means forming fulcrums for saidmarking elements, and means to rotate said roller element about saidaxis to a selected position to pivot the marking elements about thefulcrums and simultaneously selectively adjust the spaced-apartrelationship of said outer ends of the marking elements.

2. The device of claim 1 and further characterized in that the main bodycomprises first and second body members mounted together for pivotalmovement about an axis substantially parallel with and spaced from saidroller axis, said roller element being mounted on said first body memberand the means urging the marking elements into seating relationshipbeing mounted on said second body member with the marking elements beingmounted in the grooves between both body members and comprising means toyieldably pivot the first member with respect to the second memher toyieldably urge the marking elements into said seating relationship withthe roller grooves.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the means urging the marking elementscomprises a laterally extending end edge formed on the second member andcarried therewith to pivot to and from the grooves of the rollerelement.

4. The device of claim 1 and further including resilient cushion meanson the main body and supporting the under side of the marking elementsat a position remote from the roller element to cushion reaction forcesagainst the marking elements when in use and to insure even contact ofthe marking elements on the surface.

5. The device of claim 4 in which the cushion means comprises aresilient member of elastomer material extending laterally of the mainbody and engaging the under side of said marking elements on the side ofsaid spacer means remote from the roller element.

6. The device of claim 1 in which the grooves on the roller elementdefine, in the plane of a development for the roller element surface,end segments of imaginary lines converging at a common locus spaced atpredetermined distance from the axis of the roller element.

7. The device of claim 1 in which the spacer means comprises a laterallyextending member formed with a plurality of vertically elongate slotseach adapted to hold a mid-segment of a respective marking element insaid fixed spaced-apart relationship, the slots being adapted to permitvertical play of the mid-segments of the marking elements.

1. A device for drawing lines on a surface with a plurality of markingelements each having a mid-segment and an outer end, the devicecomprising the combination of a main body adapted to be gripped by theuser, a roller element rotatably mounted on the body about a rolleraxis, the roller element being integrally formed on its outer surfacewith two series of grooves of opposite rotational sense positioned inend-to-end relationship, each groove being pitched relative to theroller axis whereby groove pitch of the two series increases in oppositedirections along said roller axis, means on the body resiliently urgingthe marking elements tangentially against said roller element and inseated position in said grooves, spacer means on the main body holdingthe mid-segments of the marking elements in fixed spacedapartrelationship whereby the outer ends of the marking elements are inspaced-apart relationship, said spacer means forming fulcrums for saidmarking elements, and means to rotate said roller element about saidaxis to a selected position to pivot the marking elements about thefulcrums and simultaneously selectively adjust the spaced-apartrelationship of said outer ends of the marking elements.
 2. The deviceof claim 1 and further characterized in that the main body comprisesfirst and second body members mounted together for pivotal movementabout an axis substantially parallel with and spaced from said rolleraxis, said roller element being mounted on said first body member andthe means urging the marking elements into seating relationship beingmounted on said second body member with the marking elements beingmounted in the grooves between both body members and comprising means toyieldably pivot the first member with respect to the second member toyieldably urge the marking elements into said seating relationship withthe roller grooves.
 3. The device of claim 2 in which the means urgingthe marking elements comprises a laterally extending end edge formed onthe second member and carried therewith to pivot to and from the groovesof the roller element.
 4. The device of claim 1 and further includingresilient cushion means on the main body and supporting the under sideof the marking elements at a position remote from the roller element tocushion reaction forces against the marking elements when in use and toinsure even contact of the marking elements on the surface.
 5. Thedevice of claim 4 in which the cushion means comprises a resilientmember of elastomer material extending laterally of the main body andengaging the under side of said marking elements on the side of saidspacer means remote from the roller element.
 6. The device of claim 1 inwhich the grooves on the roller element define, in the plane of adevelopment for the roller element surface, end segments of imaginarylines converging at a common locus spaced a predetermined distance fromthe axis of the roller element.
 7. The device of claim 1 in which thespacer means comprises a laterally extending member formed with aplurality of vertically elongate slots each adapted to hold amid-segment of a respective marking element in said fixed spaced-apartrelationship, the slots being adapted to permit vertical play of themid-segments of the marking elements.